Don Knowler

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the “corvid” one for me, presenting an opportunity to study Australian crows beyond the single species than occurs in Tasmania. Crows and ravens appear to have been a constant backdrop of lockdown and self-isolation. Some may see crows as portents of doom as portrayed in ancient folklore, omens of evil. For me they have been a pleasant distraction, taking my mind off the reality of life disrupted on and off by the disease. Life with COVID, … [Read more...] about Something to crow about during pandemic

At the start of a new year, I always look back at the past 12 months do a tally of what bird stories have dominated the headlines across the world. Without doubt, 2022 was the year of the emu. Two stories stand out, but then again emus also made the news in 2021 when a mob of the birds were banned from an outback pub. Star bird on my latest list goes to an emu that struts its stuff not in Australia but in the United States. The pet emu named Emmanuel Todd Lopez has become … [Read more...] about Home or away, emu’s top of pecking order

“You’ve got to get them young,” Linley Grant said as she spread out the paraphernalia of birdwatching on a desk at Campbell Street Primary School. There were feathers and old nests, binoculars, identification charts and brightly coloured maps showing bird migration routes. There were cards to be handed out displaying Tasmania’s 12 bird species found nowhere else on earth and to top it all, a stuffed masked owl and wedge-tailed eagle, the latter towering over the children … [Read more...] about Birds fly high on the school curriculum

Shrieking gulls wheeling high in the sky broadcast there was tension in the air. Looking about me, I noticed the flotillas of Pacific black ducks and coots were behaving strangely on the open waters of the smaller of the two reservoirs at the Waterworks Reserve. The ducks and coots were huddled together in a tight circle, whereas usually they are spread out across the expansive waters. I soon discovered what was causing concern on a beautiful spring day – a white-bellied … [Read more...] about Sea eagle stirs ripple of fear

The soothing song of a grey butcher bird serenaded the Hobart bushcare community as members gathered last month for their annual year-end barbeque. Even in celebration with beers and wood-fired pizzas, a couple of hundred bushcare volunteers could not escape the call of the bush which sees them contribute, collectively, many hours of hard but enjoyable toil each year to help maintain our city’s wildlife wonders. The song of the butcherbird provided a fitting endorsement of … [Read more...] about Birdsong the call of the wild